Of Thieves and Beggars
by DataGrowth
Summary: Ruby Rose doesn't steal because she's a bad person. She steals because she needs to survive. Life is hard against those without much money. However, after meeting one very special person, Ruby comes to realize that money isn't something that she actually needs in order to be happy. After all, real happiness comes from the things that we often taken for granted. [WHITEROSE AU]
1. Chapter 1

"Thief! Stop!" the guard yelled, drawing his sword and sprinting after the small, cloaked figure that ran ahead of him. He angrily pushed aside a pedestrian, causing the poor man to drop the crate that he had been carrying.

"My cabbages!" The man exclaimed as his produce tumbled about the floor below.

"Stop!" The guard yelled again loudly. He waved his sword frantically through the air. While he was tall and well built, he was nowhere near as fast or agile as the small, hooded figure that he was running after. The thief darted in and out of the busy crowd, navigating expertly through the packed marketplace of Mistral. Gracefully executing a perfect somersault over a large meat stand, Ruby Rose grinned and landed gracefully on her feet, not missing a single step as she continued to leave the guard farther and farther behind. She loved the chase. She thoroughly enjoyed leaving the market guards in the dust. Ruby smiled again as she vaulted over another crate, leaving the pursuing guard, once again, breathless as he made his way around it.

Ruby suddenly caught sight of three more guards approaching from her right side. "_F__inally calling for backup?__"_ Ruby thought to herself. She took a sharp left, ducking and weaving through the various people that scattered the streets. "_That's a first. By the time this is over I might actually lose more energy than I would have gained by eating these apples that I stole... I mean borrowed._" Ruby liked to think that one day she would pay all of this back. Deep down though, she knew that she probably would never have the chance.

Suddenly, Ruby ran headfirst into a large pair of arms. Shaking her head, she looked up and realized with dread that it was another guard. Not just regular guard either. His bright red cloak indicated that he held the rank of an officer... likely that of a captain. And to make things worse, next to him was yet _another_ guard. _Six_ guards? A look of concern quickly passed over the young girl's face when she realized that she was trapped in both directions. The guard next to the captain began to draw his weapon.

The captain grabbed Ruby by her cloak. He pulled his ugly face close to hers, exposing her to his foul smelling breath.

"Now what have we got here?" He asked, grinning. "A pretty little thing like you might find it dangerous on these crowded streets, eh?"

Ruby shut her eyes tightly and lashed out hard with her foot, bringing it crashing into the spot between the captain's legs with the force to shatter a mountain. He instantly dropped her and fell to the floor, wheezing. Turning quickly, Ruby swung her bag of apples at the other guard's face as hard as she could. He dropped his sword and brought his hands to his head.

Ruby pushed past him and began to run again. Sweat stung her eyes. The other four guards were catching up to her. Ruby was in a bad position. Her situation had become dangerous. The street that she had been forced to turn onto one that was relatively kept clear from vendors and merchants. That meant there were less obstacles that she could have used to slow the guards down. Ruby poured more energy into her legs, pleading them to go faster.

She could do this. She was faster than them. Even if she had little to work with on this particular street, she doubted that she would lose in terms of speed. With renewed vigor, Ruby began to break away from the group of guards that were behind her. This was good. She could do this.

Suddenly Ruby felt something sharp and furry attach itself to her leg. She looked down, startled, at the small, black bundle of fur that was wrapped around her leg.

"A... Cat?" Ruby exclaimed in bewilderment. Indeed, a small, black feline had somehow—and for some reason—grabbed on tightly onto Ruby's shin. It looked up with glowing, orange eyes and hissed angrily at her.

Ruby was dumbfounded. In her surprise, she lost her concentration. She stumbled—then tripped. She felt the cat release her leg and dart away as she fell quickly towards the floor. A burning sensation enveloped her knees as they skidded harshly across the cobblestone floor. Desperately, Ruby pushed herself off of the ground and attempted to pick up her speed.

However, it was to no avail. She had lost too much distance. Ruby felt a heavy force tackle her from behind, sending her crashing to the floor again. The bag of apples fell from Ruby's hands as her face slid savagely across the rough, stone floor. Tears of pain sprang to her eyes. She struggled feebly against the guard that was holding her down. He was too heavy. Ruby shut her eyes tightly, causing her welled up tears to fall quickly down her face. The salty liquid traced the outside of the gash on her face, causing her to wince heavily in pain.

"Get on your feet, you little _rat_," she heard a familiar voice spit at her. Ruby was painfully grabbed by the arm and jerked to her feet, causing her to cry out. Once again, Ruby found herself face to face with the captain of the guards. His face was bright red and he was panting heavily. He eyed her in malice.

"While the law prevents me from actually ending your miserable little life, it says nothing about dishing out a little _punishment_ of my own," He spat. He motioned to the other guards with his head. Immediately, Ruby felt herself pinned to the nearest wall. She vaguely registered the feeling of the cool, white paint as her bloodied face was pushed into the stone surface. The guard holding her head pushed it down mercilessly, staining the white bricks red and causing Ruby to cry out painfully. A second guard grabbed her hand and roughly jerked it away from her body. He held it out against the wall.

"_What is going on?"_ Ruby thought to herself. She didn't like how this was turning out. She needed a plan, and fast. Ruby heard the sound of a sword being drawn. She managed to turn her head slightly-only to see the captain lining up his sword against Ruby's wrist. As realization of his intention began to fully dawn on Ruby, panic began to set in. New tears of desperation began to form in Ruby's eyes as she thrashed frantically against the forces that kept her restrained to the wall. It was no use.

"Looks like you won't be able to steal anymore without this little hand of yours, wretch," he sneered. He began to raise his sword. Ruby struggled harder.

"NO!" She screamed. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!_"_ Ruby flailed around frantically. However, as tough as she might have been for her age, there was no way that she could possibly budge the three burly men holding her down. This was it. This was the end. There was no way that she was getting out of this one. She'd messed up-_badly._

Suddenly, Ruby's vision turned completely red. A torrent of cold, thick liquid had crashed down on her head. Blinded and startled, Ruby gasped. She coughed and blinked hard, trying to clear whatever it was that coated her eyes. As she started to regain her vision, the first thing that her eyes focused on was the glistening beads of red liquid that rolled down the arm of the guard that was pinning her down. It took her a moment to realize what it was.

"_Paint?"_ Ruby asked herself, confused. Then she suddenly realized that she wasn't the only one who had been soaked. The guards around her were coughing and sputtering as well, and cursing as they did so. Ruby quickly regained her focus. Taking advantage of the guards' state, Ruby pushed as hard as she could against the two guards that were holding her. With a tremendous amount of effort, she managed to break free from their grasps.

She was out! She needed to get away. As she started to stagger away from the scene, she suddenly stumbled over something—the bag of apples that she had initially stolen. Quickly scooping it up, Ruby broke into a run. She ran like she had never run before. Turning back once amidst the yelling of the guards and the commotion of the crowd, Ruby caught a glimpse of a girl that was standing on top of the white bricked building. She was watching Ruby as she ran. The two made eye contact for a split second. A glimpse of the white hair whipping wildly in the wind was the last thing that Ruby managed to see before she hastily turned back around and fled the scene.

* * *

"Ruby _please_, this has _got_ to stop!" Yang said, pressing a cold, wet rag against Ruby's bloody forehead. "It's too dangerous!"

"I messed up okay?" Ruby said, wincing at the pain on her face. "The guards just got lucky this time… It isn't going to happen again!"

"That's _not_ what I mean and you know it!" Yang exclaimed. She sat down next to Ruby and looked her sadly in the eye. "I never should have let you start this habit in the first place. Ruby, you could seriously be doing something better with your life but you're putting it on the line for what? A bag of _apples_?"

"You and I both know how much we need _all _the extra food that we can get. You just lost another job, and we're not exactly living like kings here!" Ruby cried, throwing her hands out in indication of the run down little room that they lived in.

"I know Ruby, I know," Yang said, blinking back tears. "But I'm not going to let you lose your _HAND... _no, your _LIFE_ just because _I_ haven't been a very good sister to you."

"Yang, don't say that," Ruby said sadly, her voice losing much of its vigor. "I know how hard it is for you. Please, you know I'm only trying to help."

Yang looked up. "Then please Ruby. Get yourself a _safer_ job. Promise me. I absolutely _refuse_ to lose my sister for a bag of apples."

Ruby sighed. She looked out into the distance of the one, small window in their room. The sun was starting to set. The same, dull view of the street outside returned her gaze for the thousandth time that she had looked out that window.

"Okay Yang. I promise," Ruby said, sighing. Yang leaned in and hugged her tightly.

"Thanks sis. I'm going to go see if I can find something cheap at the market for breakfast tomorrow," Yang said standing up. She headed towards the door, but stopped before she reached it. Yang turned around. "And thanks Ruby," she said, tossing an apple in the air and catching it. "I know you have a good heart, kid." Then she disappeared out the door.

Ruby sighed and turned away. She caught a glimpse of her face in the dirty chipped mirror that leaned against the side of the wall. Traces of dried blood caked her face, outlining the deep gash that ran from her forehead to her chin.

Ruby closed her eyes and flopped down on the pile of hay that she and Yang used as a bed. Why did things have to be so difficult for the two of them? Ever since mom had died and dad had disappeared, fortune had done nothing to favor them. Yang worked so hard to support the two of them, but as an uneducated young girl, it was difficult to make ends meet.

It wasn't that Ruby didn't want a job. She just knew that if she went hunting to go find one, she was sure to meet the same sort of discrimination that she knew Yang did. Because the two lived by themselves with very little money, Ruby knew that she didn't have a very good image to start with. Adding to the fact that society placed more value on males, it was indeed a very difficult task for a girl to find a job that let her keep her clothes on.

Ruby removed the wet rag from her face and sighed. As she stared at her blood that stained the white piece of cloth, she thought back to the events that happened earlier that day. Specifically, her thoughts fell on that girl with the white hair. The one who had tipped the paint bucket over the heads of the guards.

"_Why did she do that for me?" _Ruby thought to herself. "_Could it have been an accident?"_

All of her life, Ruby was used to being treated like a second-rate human being. Her lack of parents and money automatically branded her as a dirty, lazy girl to the people that knew of her. Why would this specific girl ever go out of her way to save her...a person that she didn't even know? Ruby shut her eyes and shifted her thoughts elsewhere. It was probably an accident anyway. She hoped that the red paint would at least wash off of her clothes._  
_

Ruby's stomach rumbled. She closed her eyes and put her pillow on her face. Three apples were not enough to be considered a proper meal. Especially if that meal was the only one to last the entire day. Groaning out loud to nobody in particular, Ruby turned over and tried to ignore the pain of her hunger. Sleep was the only option for now. Ruby calmed her mind and thought of living a happier life like she did whenever she wanted to sleep. One day they would be out of here. Out of this house. Out of this poverty. Out of this lifestyle. Ruby swore that they would. She swore that she would change things. She swore that... that...

She didn't finish her thought. Before she realized it, she was fast asleep.

* * *

**Hey, DataGrowth here. I've been crazy busy these past few weeks with catching up on school related things. Sorry if I haven't updated any of my other stories lately, I promise that I haven't abandoned them. I just struggle to find time to work on them. As for this story in particular, I was hit by inspiration after watching something that I simply could not ignore, and this was the result. Hope you enjoy it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby's eyes slowly opened to meet the fresh rays of sunshine that radiantly streamed through the rusted window. Immediately, her stomach growled to remind her of how hungry she was. Ruby groaned. She was having such a nice dream about _not_ living in the slums of Mistral. Letting out a large yawn, Ruby sat up. What time was it? Where was Yang? Ruby looked around and spotted a little white parchment on the small circular table that she and Yang ate at. Well, whenever they had food to eat at least. Ruby trotted over to the parchment and picked it up. On it was Yang's messy handwriting.

_Hey Rubes, went out to search for another job._ _Sorry about your cloak. There's some bread by this note. _

_FIND A JOB TODAY_

_\- Your lovely sister, YANG_

Ruby exhaled. Right, there was that job thing that she needed to work on. Putting the note aside, Ruby spotted the small half-loaf of bread that sat on the table. It was a type of bread that Ruby had become very familiar with—small, grainy and unfilling. She could tell that Yang had given her a bigger half than herself. Ruby frowned sadly. The things that Yang did for her… it just made Ruby sad that she couldn't ever sufficiently return the favor.

After choking down the dry lump of an excuse for bread, Ruby went outside to go check on her cloak. It had been dumped into a large bucket of water. Ruby peered inside the murky water. Just as she expected, the water had done little to wash out the paint. Her cloak was stained bright red in various areas. It wasn't that Ruby particularly disliked the color red, but the messy way that the paint was splattered about very literally resembled how a cloak would look like after having a bucket of paint tipped over on one's head while wearing it.

Ruby picked the cloak out of the water and began wringing it dry. She frowned. This cloak in particular was special to her. She really hoped that the paint would come out in time. Sighing, Ruby hung it out to dry and went to get ready for the day.

* * *

As Ruby strolled through the market with no particular destination in mind, she had to strongly resist the urge to pocket a few of the deliciously easy to steal foods that were so openly displayed on the market stalls around her.

"_No Ruby,"_ She scolded herself after passing a particularly juicy looking tomato. "_Look for a job, not for a meal. The meal comes after the job. You promised Yang."_

Reaching the end of the street she was walking on, Ruby found herself in front of a pub with a **NOW HIRING** sign nailed to the front door. Shrugging, Ruby entered the building. Instantly, she was hit full on by the noisiness of the room. The place was absolute chaos. Customers were yelling and fighting, and there were a few people passed out—from drinking, from fighting, maybe both—in various places around the building. Ruby ducked as a glass beer bottle sailed over her head and exploded over the wall behind her.

"HEY, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" A deep voice boomed from the middle of the room.

"KISS MY ASS!" Another voice screamed out in reply.

Moments later, Ruby saw the body of a man flying over the crowd and landing near the door where Ruby was standing. Ruby took a cautious step away. Never before had she seen such an uncivilized place in her life. She watched silently as the man got up while cursing and exited the building.

A large hand grabbed Ruby's shoulder from behind, causing her to jump. "And what is a little thing like you doing at a place designed for men?" The deep voice came from above Ruby. She turned to find a large man in a stained tank top standing behind her. He smelled strongly of beer, and had a scary look in his eyes that made Ruby feel uneasy.

"I… I'm looking for a job," Ruby said meekly. The man eyeballed the young girl in front of her. He was silent for a moment as he studied her intently.

"Hmm," He mused. "I doubt you're even of legal age… but I'm sure I can get you a comfortable job here, missy." He said, a large grin appearing on his face. It made Ruby feel even more uncomfortable.

"R—really?" Ruby asked. "That would be great because-" Ruby stopped mid-sentence in horror as the man reached down and firmly grasped her bottom.

"A room in my office is where _you_ belong, _girl_."

For the second day in a row, Ruby nailed a man hard between the legs. He let go of Ruby instantly and dropped to his knees. "_This place is disgusting,"_ she thought to herself bitterly as the man gasped in pain in front of her. Ruby stomped out of the pub and back into the cold air of the outside. She took a deep breath. This was exactly the reason why she didn't want to do this. She let out another exasperated sigh and walked back down the street she came from.

* * *

Ruby didn't have much luck anywhere else during the rest of the day. Several places that she had stopped at were nice enough not to make rude remarks, but the majority didn't offer such a courtesy. Her wounded face and ruined cloak probably didn't do much to help her cause. After wandering around the marketplace after being turned down from her seventh job attempt, Ruby found a quieter road with a bench to sit down on and put her head in her knees. This was absolutely hopeless. Nobody wanted to hire an uneducated girl of her age. She was about as useful to society as a horse was in the water.

Ruby's stomach growled loudly. She fought back tears as she thought of how bleak her future really was. How bleak her _present_ was. Was this all she was ever going to be worth? Turned down from even the lowest of job positions? A tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

"PLEASE! NO!" Ruby heard the voice of a girl cry out desperately down the road. "This was my mother's… please you can have _anything _else." Ruby looked towards the source of noise. There was a large man pointing a dagger towards a hooded girl, who was clutching her hand protectively. Ruby sighed. Armed robbery was a very common thing on the streets of Mistral. Even during broad daylight, it wasn't necessarily a strange sight to see during the busy hours of the market.

The man backhanded the girl hard, making her fall over. Ruby watched as the man grabbed the girl's hand and ripped something off of her finger—presumably a ring. Then he hastily turned around and began to flee in the direction of Ruby.

Ruby exhaled in disgust. While Ruby herself was obviously a thief, she only did it because she had no other choice. And whenever possible, she at least had the decency to target only the least expensive items from food stalls. She never stole anything apart from food. Stealing things of sentiment—that was despicable in her opinion. Ruby watched with hard eyes as the man ran closer towards where she was sitting.

"Please, somebody stop him!" Ruby heard the girl cry out again. She turned. The hood had fallen off the girl's head to reveal—white hair? Ruby's expression immediately hardened. In the split second of the man passing her by, Ruby lunged forward without necessarily realizing what she was doing. She caught him by the arm, causing him to tumble to the ground.

"Get off of me, you little _brat!" _He spat at her, trying to shake her off. Ruby stayed firmly latched onto the man's arm, holding on tightly as the man attempted to stand. Seeing an opportunity, she located the hand that held the ring and bit down hard on it. He screamed and let go, causing the ring to fall to the floor.

_WHAM_!

Ruby's vision went momentarily black as she felt a blunt force heavily strike the left side of her face. Ruby let go of the man and fell to the floor. Her vision swam. In her struggle to stay conscious, she watched as the blurred shape of the man drew something from his belt—his dagger. Acting hastily, she quickly shook off her daze and rolled to the side as the man stabbed downwards.

A crowd began to form in the street around them. The man, seeing as he was in a bad position, made the smart decision and quickly fled the scene. Ruby closed her eyes and held her hand to her face where she had been hit. She winced at her own touch.

"_Great, that's two injuries to my face. Nobody will want to hire a girl with a messed up face."_ Ruby thought to herself. She slowly rolled off the floor onto her knees, groaning all the way. As she put her hand on the floor to momentarily get her balance, she felt the indent of a circle press back against her skin—the ring. Ruby grabbed it and stood up.

The ring itself was made of white gold. The center held a beautiful light blue sapphire, encompassed by a silver snowflake. Streaks of ruby etched the sides of the ring around it, giving the ring a very unique but pretty color tone.

Ruby heard the sound of running behind her and turned to see the girl approaching her. As she stopped in front of her, Ruby froze. If the ring was something that was considered beautiful, the girl standing in front of her was easily a hundred times more beautiful.

She had a pale complexion that complemented her long, white hair that she had tied up into an uneven ponytail. Her lips looked soft and luscious and… inviting. Everything about her face was perfect, but the thing that stood out the most was easily her dazzling, bright blue eyes that shone far brighter than any sapphire ever could. Ruby caught her breath as the girl leaned over and gave Ruby a tight hug. Instantly, the smell of flowers attacked Ruby's nose.

"Thank you _so_ much," the girl cried out, clutching Ruby tightly to her own body. She pulled away from the hug and looked Ruby in the eyes. "You have no _idea_ how much this ring means to me."

Ruby simply nodded. "I…uh… yeah. N-no problem," She stuttered out dumbly. "I… Yeah." She said again awkwardly.

Inwardly, Ruby hit herself. "_Way to go Ruby,"_ She thought to herself. "_You are such an idiot." _There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Umm…" The girl said, breaking the silence. "May I… have the ring back?"

"Oh right! Yeah, sorry… here," Ruby quickly said, holding out the ring. The girl took it and slid it back onto her finger.

"Thank you so much!" She said again. Ruby watched as the girl closed her eyes and clutched her hand tightly to her chest tightly, as if she was scared she would lose the ring again. Then she looked up and blinked, realizing that she was acting strangely. She straightened herself out and cleared her throat.

"Aren't you… that girl that was caught by the guards for stealing yesterday?" She inquired, her voice taking on a more cautious tone.

"_So I was right,"_ Ruby thought to herself. "_She really _was_ the girl that poured the paint on the guards."_

"Yeah," Ruby said, looking down. "I… yeah. That was me." There was another silence.

"But… if you're a… thief yourself…" She said slowly. "Why would you choose to stop the thief that was robbing me?"

Ruby was silent for a while. "I guess it was the same reason why you helped me yesterday even though there was no need to." The girl looked away and nodded.

Once again, another silence. The girl twisted her ring around her finger, saying nothing.

Ruby decided to speak. "My name is Ruby," She said, slowly. Ruby looked up into the other girl's eyes. "What's yours?"

"Weiss." The girl replied, meeting Ruby's gaze with her fierce, blue eyes. "My name is Weiss Schnee."


	3. Chapter 3

"That looks pretty bad," Weiss said worriedly, stopping to get a closer look at the rapidly swelling bruise on Ruby's face. It felt about two inches wide.

"It's nothing," Ruby said, turning the other way. "Nothing worse than I've dealt with before, at least." She was telling the truth. Life on the streets was often unforgiving towards the body. Ruby had received injuries on so many different parts of her body that she'd stopped keeping track years ago.

Ruby felt cold fingers gently touch her chin and turn her head back around. She looked to find Weiss biting the bottom of her lip as she studied the bruise. "No… that won't do…" she heard Weiss murmur gently to herself. "Arnica would do the trick… maybe some lavender or calendula…" She continued to look intricately at her face.

"W-Weiss…?" Ruby asked after a few seconds. Weiss blinked.

"Sorry," She said embarrassedly. "Here, come with me. I have something that can help with that bruise of yours."

"No, really, it's noth-" Ruby started, but stopped as Weiss grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away. "Ohhhhkay. Guess I'm going with you then."

* * *

Ruby's eyes widened as she and Weiss approached a familiar looking white-stoned building.

"Th... this shop?" Ruby asked quizzically as they reached the door. The two large windows on the face of the building were dark, and a '**BE BACK SOON**' sign hung from the inside of the door. "You need to, uh, buy something first? It looks like the owner isn't here."

"No, I own this shop." Weiss replied, stopping and digging through the pouch on her side. She pulled out a key and swiftly unlocked the door. _Owned?_ This girl _owned_ this place? Ruby blinked. She looked hardly older than Ruby herself. Maybe Yang's age at most.

"Please, come in" Weiss's voice came from in front of Ruby, interrupting her thoughts. Ruby looked up. Weiss was holding the door open for her with an inquiring look on her face.

"Sorry," Ruby apologized, quickly walking through the open door. Immediately, she was hit by the same delicious, flowery scent that she had smelled on Weiss earlier that day. Ruby inhaled deeply through her nose, taking in what she could before the scent faded.

Ruby heard the door close accompanied by the sound of the bells on the door jingling. "Okay, you wait here," Weiss said, walking towards the back of the store. "I'm going to go get something."

"Okey dokey," Ruby replied. She watched Weiss disappeared behind a door. After a few seconds, Ruby exhaled and took a better look around at her surroundings. The walls of the room were white, matching the exterior white-stoned theme of the building. However, the tops of the walls were painted a neat, wavy design with the same pastel blue and dark red colors that Ruby had seen on Weiss's ring. "_Her favorite colors probably,_" Ruby mused to herself.

The room itself was organized into neat rows, each containing a large variety of flowers. Flowers lined the walls and hung from the ceiling for aesthetic appeal. There were so many different types and colors that Ruby couldn't help but wonder if customers ever got lost in them.

So it was a flower shop. This girl owned this flower shop.

Weiss emerged from the back room holding a bowl and… one of those sticks that people grinded stuff with. What was it called again? Ruby vaguely recalled Yang telling her about it once. She knew that the bowl was called a mortar, but couldn't remember the rest. She watched in interest as Weiss went about the different rows of flowers, plucking off various amounts petals into her hand from the ones she was looking for. After stopping at four different flowers, she headed back towards the counter and filled the bowl with a small amount of water from a tap attached to the wall. Then, she emptied the petals from her hand into the bowl and began to mash them up with her… ugh, what _was _it called? It started with a 'P." Like pus… or pas… or…

"A PESTLE!" Ruby cried out with excitement as the word finally popped into her head.

"Sorry?" Ruby heard Weiss say from the counter, who had paused her work due to Ruby's outburst.

"I… The thing… Sorry," Ruby said, turning the same color as her cloak and turning the other way, embarrassed. "_God, I'm such an idiot,"_ Ruby thought to herself angrily.

"Ruby?" Weiss called out from behind her. Ruby turned again, hoping she still wasn't as red as she felt. Weiss beckoned Ruby over to her, so Ruby approached the counter. She looked on as Weiss reached under the counter and brought out a cloth. She soaked it into the bowl and took it back out. Straightening up, Weiss made her way over to Ruby and gently placed the wet cloth on Ruby's face.

Ruby could smell Weiss's intoxicating fragrance from where Weiss was standing. If Ruby felt any pain from the pressure being applied to her bruise, she sure didn't notice.

"You're going to have to keep this on here for quite a while to feel any significant effects," Weiss said, looking Ruby in the eye. "If you're not too busy, you could just wait here for now."

Was she busy? She still needed to find a job. And a meal. Preferably both. After all, she _did_ promise Yang that she would try her hardest today. As a matter of fact, Ruby probably had already wasted enough time making the trip here.

"Nah, I got nothing much I need to get done today," Ruby said.

"Great!" Weiss replied. "After that, we can pick up something to eat. I didn't exactly add getting robbed to my meal plans earlier today."

Ruby blinked a few times. "Pick up like… from the market?" Ruby asked nervously, suddenly observing the floor tiles like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Yes… is there… a problem with that?" Weiss asked, concerned.

"I… umm," Ruby said. She twisted her finger from her free hand around her cloak like she often did whenever she was nervous about something. "I don't have any money… on me."

"Oh…" Weiss said, slightly taken aback. However, she quickly recovered. "Well, that's not a problem at all. After all, that ring you saved for me was easily worth a hundred meals to start with. We can grab something quick and eat it outside or something."

"I… I don't know," Ruby said even quieter. "I guess."

"Perfect," Weiss said, seeming not notice Ruby's discomfort. She moved back behind the counter. "I was planning on closing shop a little bit early today anyway due to the holiday."

It was a holiday? Ruby didn't even know that. Thieves and beggars didn't get days off.

"But until then, business will likely be a little slow today, so I guess it's just you and me."

Ruby gulped. Just her and Weiss. No worries. She could do this. It's not like she was bad around people or anything. "_Who am I kidding?"_ Ruby countered herself._ "I'm _terrible_ at interacting with other people." _

"So tell me more about yourself, Ruby Rose," Weiss said, again looking at her right in the eye. Ruby looked away shyly.

"Umm, not much to tell really," Ruby confessed. "I've lived here in Mistral for my entire life, mainly holding up by myself."

Weiss was silent.

"Parents?" She asked quietly.

"Gone," Ruby replied, her face a stoic mask.

"Ah… I'm sorry." Weiss answered, pulling her gaze away from Ruby. "Does that mean you're… living all by yourself right now then?"

"No, I live with my older sister Yang," Ruby said. "She's probably the reason why I haven't gotten myself killed out here yet." Without realizing it, Ruby smiled. She liked thinking about her sister. Weiss nodded, saying nothing. She looked deeply absorbed in her own thoughts.

Silence followed.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen, Ruby," Weiss said, looking back up at her. "You're probably wondering how somebody as young as me came into possession of my own building."

Ruby nodded.

Weiss was silent again for a moment. "It's a long story." She said finally. Then, she took a deep breath and started to explain. "I originally came from Atlas, a kingdom east of here. Before moving here, I was—"

Suddenly, the door opened. The bells attached to it chimed playfully as a girl with short, brown hair topped by a darker brown beret entered the store.

"Heya Weiss!" The girl said cheerfully, strolling up to the store counter and leaning on it with one arm. "Long time no see, right?"

"_Again_ Coco?" Weiss exclaimed in an exasperated voice. "This is the third time you've been in here this week alone!"

The girl, who Ruby assumed was named Velvet, grinned. "Hey, another one bites the dust, sister. But the guy this time around seems a lot nicer than the previous ones."

Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled softly. "Well I'm glad to hear that… I think?" she said. "Anyways, how can I help you today?"

"Hmmmmmm," Coco said, moving her eyes towards the ceiling as she thought. "Well I have nothing in particular that comes to mind today. Mind improvising for me?"

"Of course," Weiss said, standing up. She moved from the counter and back into the little jungle of flowers in the middle of the store. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Coco noticed Ruby.

"Ouch, that looks painful," She said, looking at her face and frowning. "What happened?"

"I… umm, ran into a pillar," Ruby mumbled softly. She didn't feel like explaining the whole thing to her.

Coco gave her a strange look. "Oh… hope you feel better soon," she said softly.

"Thanks," Ruby replied.

"Are you a friend of Weiss's?" Coco asked.

Was she a friend of Weiss? Ruby honestly didn't know the answer to that. She didn't really know what Weiss viewed her as.

"You could… say that," Ruby said, finding the folds of her cloak and twisting them between her fingers.

"How is this?" Ruby heard Weiss's voice come from one of the rows. She emerged holding a bouquet of assorted flowers, each complementing the others to form a perfect blend of just the right colors. In the center was a cluster of white flowers that was distinctly set apart from the rest of the flowers.

Coco's face lit up. "_Perfect._" She exclaimed. "I'm really digging the white flowers in the center."

"Yes," Weiss said with her own content smile. "The white rose, my personal favorite. Symbolizes innocence, pure love, and new beginnings. Would you like a ribbon to go with this?"

"You need to ask at this point?" Coco replied, winking and approaching the counter to pay for the bouquet. She took out a little bag and pulled out a few pieces of copper.

"Thanks again!" Coco said, gathering her things. "See you again soon!"

"Take care," Weiss called behind her. "Good luck tonight!"

Coco waved her thanks as she exited the store.

The door closed with the chime of bells and, once again, the store was silent. Ruby watched quietly as Weiss recounted her money and began to store it.

"You seem to have a good relationship with your customers," Ruby said, thinking of something to say to break the silence.

"I do indeed," Weiss said while scribbling something down on a note. "Good for business, better for staying happy."

Ruby frowned. She wouldn't know about that. The last time she had anybody that she could have even considered a 'friend' was back before she had escaped the orphanage with Yang. And even then, the majority of the kids in the crowded, miserable little building were often rude and selfish. It wasn't a time that Ruby liked to think about, so she let the thought disappear from her mind. She heard the sound of a drawer closing, indicating that Weiss was done with whatever she was doing.

"Okay, let me take a look at that bruise again," Weiss said, approaching Ruby. Ruby removed the bundled cloth from her face, taking a breath as she felt the warmer air of the room counter the cold, dampness of the cloth that had been pressed against her face. Weiss looked closely at the bruise, subtly turning Ruby's head with her fingers. "It looks like we were able to stop the swelling from getting too bad in time, but it's still a pretty nasty little thing," Weiss said. "How do you feel?"

"_Like an idiot,"_ Ruby thought inwardly to herself.

"It doesn't really hurt that much," she answered.

Ruby noted Weiss's skeptical look. "Really, I'm fine! See?" Ruby exclaimed, poking her bruise with her finger. Pain instantly attacked her face. "Ow," she muttered, wincing softly.

"Uh-huh," Weiss said, unconvinced. "Well unfortunately, the mixture that I made only helps with swelling and healing. Any pain that you might feel before, during, and after will simply have to be dealt with by yourself."

"That's fine," Ruby said again. "I've endured worse, trust me." Weiss gave Ruby a look that Ruby couldn't quite interpret.

"Wow so, you know a lot about flowers then." Ruby said, quickly changing the subject.

"That I do," Weiss replied, turning back to the counter. "It is my job after all."

"But you don't know how to make painkillers though?"

"Of course I know how make a pain killer," Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "Unfortunately, taking it _might _just stop your heart in the process, so unless you're _really_ willing to try new things, I would advise staying away from it for now."

Ruby smiled. Then, her stomach growled, making Ruby turn red for the hundredth time that day. Weiss laughed.

"Good, so I'm not the only one that feels that way right now then," she said. "I might as well close shop now so we can go. It seems past the point of day where people might still come in for flowers to celebrate the day anyways. Well, besides Coco. She's sort of a strange one. Are you set to go?"

Ruby nodded again.

"Alright then, give me a few minutes to lock up and we'll be on our way."


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby stuck closely to Weiss as the pair made their way through the market. She felt uneasy. Walking through the crowds in such a carefree way felt… oddly surreal. There was always some sort of objective that ran through Ruby's mind whenever she was in this place. What foods to steal—Where the guards were posted—The best streets to escape to. Actually spending money? It wasn't an idea that Ruby was very familiar with. Even now, Ruby continued to subconsciously keep a lookout for guards the way she did every time she was here.

"_Is this what it's like to be… normal?"_ Ruby asked herself. She glanced around again furtively.

No, regardless of her more _innocent_ intentions this time around, her appearance still gave her away. Merchants and vendors continued to eye her like hawks, easily conveying their disapproval whenever she passed. Ruby could almost physically feel it weighing down on top of her. She slid her hood over her head and let her gaze fall to the floor.

"Is there any specific place that you want to go to?" Weiss asked nonchalantly, eyeing several of the different vendors that they passed by.

"Err… no, no specific places I have in mind today." Ruby said, masking her uneasiness with forced cheerfulness. The truth was, Ruby had never once even eaten anywhere outside of the orphanage or the room that she called home. She didn't even know how to _order_ food from a vendor.

"Oh, this is a nice place that I've been to a couple of times," Weiss said, not seeming to notice Ruby's slightly panicked expression that she was doing a poor job at hiding. "It has a pretty spot you can sit at near that pond over there," she said, pointing.

"Sounds good to me!" Ruby exclaimed, starting to sweat a little on the inside. The two began to approach the vendor. Ruby gulped. She was running out of time. How was she supposed to order food?

The vendor was a large man with an admirable mustache. He eyed the two girls as they made their way towards him. "What can I do for you fine… ladies today?" He asked with a smile, hesitatingly only slightly as he caught a glimpse of Ruby's tattered clothes and beaten up face.

"You can go first," Weiss said, slightly nudging Ruby forward with her elbow.

"R-right. First. I love going first." Ruby looked up at the man who seemingly towered over her. He stared back down at her, his mouth fixed into a smile that gave no her no hints. She looked around, hoping for something… _anything _that might give her a clue on what she was supposed to do or what to get. Her eyes darted around frantically.

"Come on Ruby," Weiss said after a moment, chuckling playfully. "It's almost as if you've never seen the menu at a food vendor before."

The menu? Where was the menu?

"HAHAHA, AS IF!" Ruby exclaimed, quickly looking towards the spot that she thought Weiss was looking.

Her eyes lit up. There, behind the man was an impossibly small, black square filled with small, white words. The sign had so many words crowded in its tiny area that it was as if they were set to burst free from the sign's borders at any given point.

"_Great." _Ruby thought, sighing. That wasn't going to help her at all. Ruby didn't know how to read very well. She could recognize several words and letters from the limited schooling she had received from the orphanage, but an entire sign filled from top to bottom with tiny scribbles? Forget it.

But that didn't matter. Both Weiss and the vendor were waiting for her to make her decision. Ruby thought quickly.

"I'll take… uh… that!" Ruby said, pointing at a random spot at the sign.

The vendor turned around to look where she was pointing. "Take err… what?" He asked, keeping his polite smile on his face.

"You know, that!" Ruby responded, keeping her finger fixated, pointing to nowhere in particular. "Riiiiiight there."

He turned around again, trying to match Ruby's finger to the tiny words of the menu. "You're pointing to… the meat pie?" He asked, trying to hide his confusion.

"Yes, yes, that one." Ruby said quickly, lowering her arm. She lowered her head breathed a slight sigh. She was done. That wasn't so bad.

"And how would you like that made?" The vendor asked, bending over to jot down Ruby's order. Ruby's head snapped back up.

"I… Umm, however you think tastes the best?" She stammered.

"Is this for now or for later?"

Later? Why would she possibly want it later? Why was it so difficult to just get something from a stupid food vendor? Ruby quite honestly had an easier time stealing food from the market than she did getting food here.

Weiss spoke up. "For here, sir," she said calmly. "The weather is too nice to eat a meal elsewhere."

* * *

"You've never ordered food at a food vendor, have you?" Weiss asked, watching Ruby's facial expression amusingly. "That meat pie is impossibly large."

Ruby's eyes snapped up to Weiss. "Whaaaaaat," Ruby said, letting out a forced laugh. "Of course I've ordered at a _food vendor_ before. Have _YOU_ ordered at a food vendor before?" Ruby asked.

Weiss smiled.

"No," Ruby said quietly, lowering her eyes to the floor. "I haven't."

There was a pause. Weiss began to laugh. Her laughter flowed like a beautiful melody being played to perfection. Ruby almost forgot her embarrassment as it danced around her ears.

Almost.

"Ruby, you are something," Weiss finally said, covering her hand over her mouth. Ruby's face turned crimson and she muttered something incomprehensible. "_I'm never leaving home ever again," _she thought darkly.

"Don't worry about it," Weiss said, still smiling brilliantly. "Just try your meat pie. I'm sure you'll like it."

Ruby looked down at the pie in her lap. It looked foreign to her. It wasn't anything like she'd ever eaten before. Ruby didn't know what to expect. She had heard of meat pies in the past, but what did they actually taste like? "_Well maybe if you stopped thinking about it and actually tried it, you might be able to find out," _Ruby mentally chided herself. She scooped out a spoonful and tentatively put it in her mouth.

Instantly her world melted around her. Her eyes involuntarily shut as she exhaled slowly through her nose. This wasn't possible. Food this good couldn't possibly exist. The texture—the warmth—everything combined so perfectly to create an explosion of pleasure in Ruby's mouth. Ruby shuddered. It was delicious. She didn't feel like she deserved her mouth anymore. She was a cruel mouth owner. It should have left her behind long ago to find a new owner, one that could feed it proper tasting food.

"I didn't realize food could taste this good," Ruby said out loud, her eyes still shut. "Makes me want to be a cook when I grow up."

Weiss's smiled. She picked up a loaf of bread that she had also ordered and broke it into two pieces. "Here then," Weiss said, handing Ruby one of the halves. "The first step of becoming a good cook is knowing what foods mix well. Try it."

Ruby nodded her thanks and took the loaf. Ruby couldn't ever be unappreciative of bread that was fresh. It was such a rare commodity in the house that she didn't think that she would ever see it as anything less than it was worth. Ruby took a bite with her meat pie.

Another explosion of flavor, but different to that of the earlier bite. Weiss was right—the bread provided a whole new texture—a whole new flavor when eaten with the meat pie. Ruby closed her eyes again, savoring the mouthful for as long as she could.

Weiss smiled again at Ruby's reaction and took another bite of her own food. She stared out over the calm waters of the pond that they sat next to. Ruby matched her gaze. It was such a beautiful day outside. She could make out various people dotted alongside the pond as well, just enjoying their lives. Her family had once taken a trip to a pond too. The pond in front of her reminded her of that happy memory. Of her mom. Of her dad. Of Yang. Ruby's thoughts shifted to Yang. She wondered if Yang was faring as well as she was right now.

"_Probably not,"_ Ruby thought to herself sadly. Ruby knew it herself—finding a job at their social class was not an easy task. The lowest paying jobs were often the ones most fought for, according to Yang.

"_A low paying job would be more than what you have accomplished today,"_ Ruby thought to herself gloomily. She stared at the spoon in her hand. What was she doing here enjoying this food? Tomorrow she was going to back out in the streets, starving once again if she didn't find employment today. Especially since she had promised Yang no more stealing. Ruby's rational side fought with Ruby to get up and start searching again.

But Ruby didn't want to move. For the first time in her life, she had something that she never had before.

A friend.

Somebody that didn't shut the door the moment they saw her ruined clothes. "_If I leave now, am I ever going have one again? Will I have the opportunity?"_ Ruby wondered. A sad look enveloped Ruby's face.

"So what were you doing out here today, Ruby?" Weiss asked, moving Ruby out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Ruby asked, looking back at Weiss.

"Today, out in the streets. Was there any particular reason you were outside?"

Ruby hesitated. "I was actually… looking for a job."

"Really?" Weiss asked, sitting up. Ruby nodded.

Weiss was silent for a moment. "And… how is that going for you?" She finally asked.

Ruby stopped chewing and paused. Then her shoulders slumped forward. "Not that great, actually," she said, bringing her head up to look at the sky. "It's harder than I thought it would be. I mean, it's hard enough to find a job when you can't really rea—" Ruby caught herself. "Can't really… do anything useful," Ruby said, quickly substituting words into her sentence. There was no reason why Weiss had to know that she couldn't read very well.

"Well I'm sure that isn't true," Weiss said, not seeming to catch on to what Ruby had almost given away. "Everybody has his or her own talents."

"Yeah, well running around and stealing stuff usually isn't the type of talent that most job employers look for," Ruby said not realizing what had come out of her mouth until she had already said it. She winced at her own words. If Weiss hadn't come to a complete understanding of what Ruby did for a living, she definitely knew now.

Weiss, however, remained silent. She displayed no hint of fear or disgust, as was the typical reaction when people realized just what Ruby was. Instead she looked… Ruby didn't know how to describe it. Pensive? Sympathetic? That couldn't be right. Nobody was sympathetic towards a thief.

But Weiss… she was different. Right from the very start, Weiss had been different. Nobody had ever treated Ruby this way. Not the way that Weiss was treating her right now.

"How far do you live from here?" Weiss finally asked.

"I… not very far…?" Ruby said, confused about the sudden change in topic. Weiss bit her lip. Why was she biting her lip? Ruby was beyond confused at this point.

"Well…" Weiss said, hesitantly. "How would you feel about working for me at the flower shop?"

Ruby stopped. What was that she just said?

"Maybe it was a coincidence," Weiss continued." But the reason _I_ was outside today was actually to look for help with my flower shop."

Ruby was speechless. She lowered her spoon. "I… flowers…?" She repeated dumbly.

"It would just be for a few odd things, like running errands or cleaning up and such. The pay wouldn't be that bad… but, well better than those other minimum wage jobs that you might have been searching for," Weiss said, looking down at her lap. She suddenly looked back up at Ruby, as if realizing what she just said. "N-not that you might have been searching for a minimum wage job or anything. That's not what I—"

"I'll do it!" Ruby interrupted. She almost couldn't believe the opportunity. She lived only about ten minutes away from the shop. And to build on that, she would get to know Weiss better. If there was anything on her bucket list that topped surviving each day and moving out of the excuse she had for a house, it was probably to get to know Weiss better. This was everything that Ruby had been looking for today.

Weiss pursed her lips. "Okay," she said. "The shop opens at eight. Do you need directions?"

"No," Ruby replied. "I know my way around these streets quite well." That much was true. She had slept in these streets more often than Weiss probably could have even imagined. Another thing that Ruby didn't quite need to reveal.

Weiss simply nodded. She eyed Ruby's half eaten pie. "Are you going to try to finish that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, I was thinking about saving it for Yang. It isn't often that we get this sort of food," Ruby replied. That much was true. Weiss nodded again.

"Well if you don't mind, there are a few things that I need to get done before the day is over," Weiss spoke, starting to stand. "Tomorrow at eight then?"

"I won't be late," Ruby said, smiling.

Weiss smiled back at Ruby one more time. Then she turned and began to leave. Ruby watched her walk away. Her long, white hair shimmered in the sun as it swayed to match her steps. Finally, she reached the street and disappeared into the busy crowd.

Ruby sat back and let out a deep sigh of content. She stared out over the calm waters of the pond and smiled. She didn't often have a reason to feel content. It was a refreshing experience, one that she hoped would last her at least a little bit longer.

* * *

**A/N: Hey readers, I'm so sorry about the super long delay in posting this chapter. I was recovering from a pretty bad breakup, and to add to that my schoolwork just kind of built up on me due to the way I was neglecting to do it. The first quarter just passed, so hopefully I'll be able to manage my time a little bit better. I'm not going to be able to post as frequently as I would like to, but hopefully whenever I have the time, I'll be able to get in a chapter or two. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed chapter four. If you have any feedback or questions, be sure to leave a review!**

**\- DataGrowth**


	5. Chapter 5

Yang sighed and put her head in her hands, caressing her temples gently as she sank farther back into the lumpy excuse that she called a bed. She slowly placed her hands down on top of the sheep-skinned cover and began to rub her hands over the fleecy texture, the way she often did when she felt anxious.

She was exhausted. It had been yet another unsuccessful day in scrounging for work, the third day in a row since she'd been fired from her last job. It was a tiresome and demotivational business. Job hunting without proper education—there was nothing else in the world that made her feel so worthless. So valueless in society. So… _stupid._ And she absolutely _refused_ to resort to selling her body in order to make money.

Yang clenched her fist. Why did Dad leave them behind? This was _his _fault. _His_ fault that she and Ruby were subjected to live such a miserable life. _His _fault that sometimes, the two were forced to skip entire meals for days on end just to pay off the rent for the wretched little room that they shared. _His_ fault that she felt like such a failure when it came to being a good sister towards Ruby. Both of their lifestyles were simply products of _his_ failures.

Even though Ruby refused to believe that their dad had left them by his own accord, Yang knew better. She was old enough to understand that not everything had a happy ending. That the world, through all of its deceptive beauty, was a cruel place to actually call _home_.

She took a deep breath, slowly unclenching her hands and letting her gaze fall to the dirty floor under her feet. Ruby was so young. So naïve. She loved her sister to death, but sometimes it boggled her mind that despite all of the evil that her sister had already experienced in her lifetime _alone_, she still continued to hold such a positive regard for the world around her. She had this unique way of spotting the good in people despite what they looked like or what they were doing, something that made Ruby such a special person. However, it was also the thing that Yang worried would one day get her killed. Yang knew. The world they lived in—it was a cruel place. There were certain incidents that had occurred in her life that she would never have the heart to share with Ruby.

Yang shook her head sadly as she continued to think about the bleak present that she and her sister had been forced into.

Suddenly, the door to their home burst open and a streak of red flew into the room. Yang sat up quickly at attention. It took her a moment to realize that it was _Ruby,_ due to the state of her ruined, once-black cloak.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!" Ruby cried, tackling Yang downwards onto the bed. Yang felt the air leave her lungs as her little sister squeezed her chest tightly with both of her arms.

"Yang, guess WHAT!" Ruby cried, jumping off of the bed eagerly. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby gave her no time to respond.

"I got a _JOB!_" Ruby cried happily, jumping up and down on the floor.

What? It took a few seconds for Yang to realize what her sister had just said. Confused, Yang opened her mouth to speak again. Once more, Ruby beat her to words.

"And even better," she said, starting to pace back and forth around the room. "The one who hired me?—it was the girl that _saved me_ yesterday! Remember that person I was telling you about that threw the paint all over the guards and me? Yeah, it was _her!_ I mean I was having a pretty bad day and all and I was just like wandering around the town hungry and looking for places not run by dirty old men when I ran into this guy who was robbing this girl and the girl was like—…"

"_Dear God, why must she always have so much energy?"_ Yang asked herself in the same defeated way she had many times in the past. She futilely attempted to focus on the words that were speeding out of her sister's mouth, but she struggled to follow along in her worn-out state. She took a deep breath. If only her sister would slow down sometimes—it would make her life a lot easier.

Suddenly, Yang became aware of the ugly bruise that marked the side of Ruby's face.

"Oh my God, Ruby," Yang said, standing up and grabbing her sister's wrist while she was in the middle of her sentence. "What happened to your face?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Weren't you just listening? I just told you, it was from the guy who hit me in the face when I was saving Weiss's ring!" Ruby said. Agitation lined the corners of her voice, the way that it did whenever Ruby had something she was dying to share but was forced to wait before she could let it explode out of her system.

Man? Ring? Weiss? Just how much had her sister been able to say in the time that Yang had asked herself one question? "Okay, Ruby," Yang said, breathlessly. "Start over. And sloooooooooooooow down. You're hurting my ability to think, sis."

Ruby rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, I will if you would just give me a chance and listen!"

Yang sighed again but smiled inwardly. She knew that Ruby would end up talking whether or not she was given the chance to. Slowly, she let go of her sister's wrist and sat back down on the bed, mentally preparing herself to catch every word that her sister was about to say.

* * *

"And that's not even the best part!" Ruby exclaimed to Yang, waving her hands in the air excitedly while she continued to pace back and forth on the floor of the room. "Then she offered me a _job_—at the _flower_ shop she took me to! You know, the one that I told you about yesterday? I mean, isn't that great? I got a job, Yang!"

"Woah, settle down Rubes," Yang said, placing both of her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "You're saying that she was just… conveniently looking for somebody to hire when you… ran into her?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Ruby replied, not picking up on the doubt plainly laid out in Yang's tone of voice. "I mean, how lucky is that? It's one thing to go looking for a job, but it's another thing to actually find somebody who's walking down the same street as you who's looking to hire! I mean ignoring the fact that she was being robbed and I that got hit in the face really hard… but, hey, still! Isn't that great?"

Yang gave another uncertain glance at her sister. She didn't seem to notice. "Now come on," Ruby said, dragging Yang to the small, wooden table they ate at and starting to push her down onto a chair. "You seriously need to try some of this pie. Your taste buds will _explode._"

Hesitantly, Yang allowed Ruby to push her down into the seat. It was great to see Ruby so happy that she found work under somebody that she thought was so friendly but… Yang wasn't sure if she could trust the credibility of the employer that Ruby was describing.

A girl her own age that had bought an expensive pie for Ruby. Then… she offered her a job just as Ruby told her that she was looking for work? It seemed a little bit _too _convenient. There had to be some sort of secondary motive. People like that didn't exist in the world. At least not _their _world. Yang watched her sister humming joyfully as she brought the large box to the table.

Ruby was only seventeen. She was still young. Yang didn't want to see her little sister be deceived because she was so… innocent. Her expression had darkened as she thought about her own personal experiences when it came to others using her in the past for their own selfish gains. She wanted to protect Ruby… but at the same time she didn't want to cross the line into simply being _overprotective_. She sighed as Ruby placed the pie in front of her.

"_Maybe I should just trust Ruby on this one_," she thought to herself. "_She did seem to be describing somebody that seemed… caring enough."_

"Come ooonnnnnn Yang," Ruby exclaimed, pulling on Yang's arm. "Try it!"

Yang sighed again and picked up the wooden spoon that Ruby had set in front of her.

"Okay, sis." She resigned, dipping the spoon slowly into the rich contents of the meat pie. She would have to wait until later to talk to Ruby more. She _was_ starving, after all. She took a bite.

Though it was slightly cold, Ruby was right.

It was delicious.

* * *

Ruby couldn't sleep. For the first time in a very long time, she had something to look forward to. She rolled over on her pile of hay as she pondered what was in store for her future. Would things change from this point? Was she finally going to get a chance to help her sister save up the money to move into a proper house? Ruby's thoughts began running ahead of herself, and she had to mentally instruct herself to slow down and think about one thing at a time.

"_I wonder what I'll be doing tomorrow?"_ she asked herself, imagining the various jobs that Weiss might ask her to complete. "_Let's see… I'll probably have to do stuff relating to flowers. And she did say cleaning. And something about running errands? I like running. I'm good at running."_ Ruby smiled. Maybe she could use her speed for something good for once.

"_But what if I'm not fast enough? Or what if I don't clean well enough?" _She thought suddenly. "_What if she realizes that she made a mistake in hiring somebody like me?"_ Doubt began to riddle her mind. Maybe she had made a mistake in accepting the job offer from Weiss. She didn't want to lose the only friendship that she had gained in… she didn't know. A very long time.

Next to her, Ruby heard Yang shift in her bed. Her thoughts drifted to her older sister.

"_Stop it, Ruby,"_ she imagined her sister telling her in her gently stern voice that she often used when Ruby was stressing over something. "_If Weiss is really as nice as you described her to be, I'm sure she'll realize just how good of a kid you are."_

"_But Yang,"_ Ruby imagined herself replying back exasperatedly. "_I've never even held a job for longer than a week. How am I supposed to know that I'll be able to do it this time?"_

"_If you really care about this job, you can do it Ruby,"_ she pictured Yang saying. "_You can do anything that you set your heart on… remember, that's what mom told us after all."_

Ruby allowed herself to smile. Yang was probably right. Wait—that wasn't Yang though, that was herself thinking as Yang. She shook her head. _She_ was probably right. There was no sense in worrying about making mistakes. She would prove to Weiss that she was good enough to be called a worker under… the flower shop. Did the flower shop have a name? Ruby had forgotten to look, or even ask for that matter. In the million times she had run past that little white store, she didn't recall ever seeing a store name written anywhere on it. She shrugged. She would find out tomorrow.

Ruby turned over, a little more at peace than she had been a few moments ago.

"_Sleep, Ruby,_" she commanded herself in Yang's voice.

"_But I can't,"_ she argued back to herself in her own voice. Then she realized how silly she sounded, arguing to herself in her own head. "_Fine Yang—I mean me,"_ she concluded. "_I'll try harder to sleep. Why am I still arguing to myself?"_

Ruby sighed and turned over. Then she smiled again. She had a big day ahead of her.

* * *

Hours after Ruby had fallen asleep, Yang lay soundly awake, thinking. About her life. About _their_ lives. About everything that had happened in the past ten or so years that had led Ruby and her to the spot they were right then. She turned over from her side onto her back to stare at the mossy stone ceiling above the spot she slept.

"_Am I really doing the right thing here?"_ She wondered to herself doubtfully. "_Have I really done the best that I could have to raise Ruby right?"_

There were so many aspects of herself that she wished she could change for her sister's sake. Like making better decisions. Or learning to trust Ruby better. Or being able to just hold a stupid job longer so Ruby could have something better to eat than the stale bread that she shamefully had to offer every morning. At least, when _that_ was even an option. She grit her teeth in frustration as she thought about how much of a failure she felt like towards Ruby.

"_Aw, don't say that Yang," _she imagined Ruby's voice telling her in a cheerful voice. "_You've done plenty to help us since Dad had to go."_ Yang shut her eyes tightly. "_Just think of how far we've gotten because of all that you've done, Yang!"_

"_But it's _because _of what I _haven't_ done that's put us in this position, Ruby!"_ Yang shot back, her eyes flying open. She realized that her hands were clenched. She slowly let them open again, regaining control over her body. "_I'm sorry, Ruby, it isn't your fault,"_ she thought to Ruby… to herself.

She realized how silly she sounded, arguing to herself in her own head. Yang breathed in deeply through her nose. "_If only you understood Ruby…"_ she thought to herself. "_If only you could understand me. I'm sorry, Rubes. I really am."_

Yang wiped away a tear. "_Don't cry, Yang," _she heard Ruby's voice in her head again. She imagined Ruby starting to tear up herself. "_It's not your fault Yang,"_ Ruby's voice rang again in her thoughts. "_I love you. I love you." _Yang choked on her tears. She was weak.

"I love you too, Ruby," she said out loud. She wiped at her face and sniffled. She needed to sleep. She was exhausted. She needed her energy to find a job tomorrow. For the last time that day, Yang sighed. She had a big day ahead of her.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, DataGrowth here. First of all, Merry Christmas! **

**This chapter was on the shorter end of what I typically like to post, but it's a start to what I'm hoping for a more consistent chapter-posting schedule. Follow/Favorite for more updates and be sure to leave a review if you have any questions!**

**-DataGrowth **


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